Shock-absorbing tire buffer

ABSTRACT

In an automotive highway vehicle, a frame, a transverse structure rigidly connected across the front end of the frame, said structure including a first rigid transverse member having a forwardly facing recess and a second rigid transverse member which also extends forwardly of the first member; a plate mounted on the second member, an elongated slot in the plate, a hub mounted on the plate with means permitting it to slide thereon the length of the slot; a spare wheel and tire mounted substantially horizontally on the hub with the rear portion of the tire nested in the recess.

lite trtt Cheston lbee tshcln 621 hLlE. 30 Terrace, Miami, 11 1a. 33137$43,903

Aug. 11 11, 1969 ept 7 11971 Continuation-impart all application Ser.No. 748,705, July 30, 1963, now Patent No. 3,502,362.

lnventor Appl. No. Filed Patented SllllUtIllt-AMSUlltlltllNG 'lllllltlElllllllll ll 'lEM 6 Claims, 7 Drawing ll lgu.

ll tellereruees (Iitelll UNlTElD STATES PATENTS 6/1928 O'Meara293/71X(P) Pfimary ExaminerArthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner HowardBeltran 'llllllA'C'll: In an automotive highway vehicle, a frame, atransverse structure rigidly connected across the front end of theframe, said structure including a first rigid transverse member having aforwardly facing recess and a second rigid transverse member which alsoextends forwardly of the first member; a plate mounted on the secondmember, an elongated slot in the plate, a hub mounted on the plate withmeans permitting it to slide thereon the length of the slot; a sparewheel and tire mounted substantially horizontally on the hub with therear portion of the tire nested in the recess.

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SllllUClli-AlildUMlllWG 'llllll'ttE lE Ul T lElt This application is acontinuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 748,785, filedJuly 30, I968, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,362, issued Mar. 24, 1970.

My invention relates to an improvement in a spare absorber whichutilizes a dormant part of the motor vehicle, the spare tire and wheel,to absorb the shock of a front end collision. The tire and wheel aremounted substantially horizontally to the front of the vehicle or havingsome dihedral to prevent underl'iding high cars on collision. Thus thespare absorber offers crash-worthiness, helps protect the occupants fromdeath and injury, and prevents damage to the front of the vehicle andthe vehicle it strikes, while remaining readily available as a sparetire and wheel.

With the ever-increasing use of express highways and the highcruising'speed of modern automobiles plus the increased number ofvehicles on the roads, and bumper to bumper driving, there is a steadyincrease in traffic collisions with many deaths and serious injuries andcostly damage to the cars due to collision with barrier or head-oncollision into an oncoming vehicle or rear end collision into a stoppedcar. One can hardly read a newspaper or watch the news on televisionwithout learning of a head-on collision of an automobile resulting infatalities and injuries.

With all the improvements being made in modern passenger automobiles,trucks, bosses and station wagons, including the engines and bodies, thebumpers have been neglected by the industry. The modern bumper remainsin large measure an ornamental feature rather than what its nameimplies. A collision of more than 3 m.p.h. will distort of dent themodern bumper.

It is the object of my invention to supply a front end absorption devicewhich I have named the Spare Absorber to provide absorption of energy toa degree not possible in a pressed steel, chrome plated bumper.

it is further an object of my invention that my device shall be usableon small, medium and large automobiles, trucks, busses, station wagonsand motorcycles. it is still another object of my invention that thedevice may be provided on vehicles either at the time of manufacture orlater by the purchaser thereof.

The standard pneumatic tire and pressed steel wheel are very rugged andwill resist being compressed out of their round shape. in most seriousaccidents, where the vehicle body is smashed out of shape and the engineis torn from the body mounts, the spare tire and wheel are not damaged,not are the wheels on the vehicle. Even in airplane crashes, where thedebris is scattered over a large area, the wheels and tires remain ingood condition.

To carry out those object the spare tire and wheel are mounted up frontof the vehicle, in front of the engine and radiator space, in a planesubstantially horizontal to the road, with the rear of the tire nestingin a recess in a transverse member at approximately the height of thevehicle frame, and the front of the wheel extending forward or tiltedslightly up ward.

The spare tire and wheel are supported on a longitudinal support frame,which is an extension of the vehicle frame proper. At the front top ofsaid extended frame there is provided an elevated, slotted base platethat has a sliding hub with means of mounting the wheel to the top sideof the hub, and the bottom side of the hub, having a flat surface toslide on the flat surface of the base plate. The hub is held in place bya king pin that travels in the slot in-plate, and at the rear portion ofthe tire, when the spare is mounted on the support frame, there isprovided a rigid cross frame member with a recessed nesting support forthe tire to nest in. The purpose of this arrangement is to allow thewheel to move aft upon impact, against the rear of the tire, and againstthe rigid cross frame and nesting support, a restricted distance equalto the profile of the tire, or the length of the slot, whichever is thelesser, thereby utilizing both the front and rear absorption values ofthe tire rubber, tire cord, and compressed air at the same time.

in the interest of design and appearance the bumpers and adjacentornamental structure are blended and curved from the outside frontcorners of the vehicle body to the forward periphery of the tread of thespare tire. My device is to be located at the front of all vehiclesregardless of their type. Those cars that have the radiator and/orengine at the rear, or no radiator at all, are considered to he the sameas conventional cars that have the radiator and engine located in from.Where there is no longitudinal frame as on monocoque bodies, the body isto be considered the same as the frame by fastening the supportstructure and mechanism to the hard points of the body. The slottedaperture is meant to include any other means of a sliding track thatwill allow the wheel to move back on impact.

The wheel is mounted in the described said position to put it betweenthe car and any barrier with which it may collide. There are between 26and 29 inches of absorption material contained in the wheel, consisting,from fore to aft, of a layer of rubber and cord, a layer of compressedair, a pressed steel wheel, another layer of compressed air, and anotherlayer of rubber and cord, all of which must be collapsed before thestruck object can reach the radiator and engine of the vehicle.

The advantages of this thickness of absorption materials are obvious inabsorbing the energy and decelerating the vehicle, in reducingfatalities, serious injuries and property damage by an estimated 50percent. Tests have shown that a car can drive head-on into a concretewall at 40 miles per hour and not break the headlights.

An engineering analysis made by one of Americas largest defense plantsshows that the spare tire and wheel reduce fatalities by 50 percent infront collisions, when mounted as a spare absorber. The spare absorberdoes not interfere with the driving or performance of the car or withthe cooling, and does not interfere with parking, because backing into aparallel parking space is usually done at the same angle in the front asthe front of the Spare Absorber is to the edge of the car. The frontwheels cannot be turned sharp enough to touch the Spare Absorber.

Reference is made to other efforts to utilize the spare tire in somemanner as a safety device, but none have proved as effective or asconveniently arranged as the device herein described. In fact they showthe spare tire carried within the body where is would normally be in theway of the engine and radiator whereby these and other importantcomponents would have to be relocated. Such an arrangement also resultsin difficulty in removing the spare tire and wheel for their normallyintended use.

For further comprehension of the invention reference may be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a side plan view of the complete car showing the spare tireand wheel in position in front of the vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the complete car showing the spare tireand wheel in position in front of the vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the complete car showing the spare tire andwheel in position in front. of the vehicle;

FIG. 3A is a simplified view showing the position of the wheel and thedistortion of the tire upon a collision with an obstruction 1i;

FIG. t is a front perspective view showing the extended longitudinalframe and the cross frame with the support, and the elevated slottedbaseplate;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the sliding hub showing the wheelfasteners, and

FIG. s is a side plan view of the sliding hub s owing the kingpin.

FIGS. ll-3 show the spare tire 2 front of the radiator lo and engine 17substantially parallel to the road at about the height of, or above,bumper level. The spare is carried by a support frame 6, which is anextension of the longitudinal vehicle frame 6a. Arranged transversely ofthe vehicle in front of the radiator and rigidly connected at its endsto the vehicle frame 6a, there is a cross frame member 7 which has afront facing recess or nesting support llfl. On the front top side ofthe extended frame 6 there is secured, as by welding or the like, a

slotted or apertured baseplate 4. A slidable hub 3 with a downwardlyextending kingpin l9 lies on top of baseplate 4 with the kingpinextending through the slot or aperture 5. The hub 3 is provided to carrythe spare tire and wheel 1,2 and is fitted with stud bolts it) forsecuring the wheel to the hub. The hub when mounted on the base plate 4is slidable thereon a distance equal to the length ofthe slot upon acollision with an obstruction X, as seen in FIG. 3A. The heights of theframe 6, plate 5, hub 3, member 7, and recess 18 above the roadway, andthe horizontal distance between the recess 18 and the slot 5, are all soarranged that when the spare 1,2 is mounted on the hub 3 and the kingpinis all the way forward in the slot 5, the rear portion of the inflatedtire will nest in the recess 18.

In the described construction, the recess 18, backed by the cross member7, acts to hold the spare in its described position. On striking anobstruction in front, however, the spare acts as a shock absorber orbuffer. As shown in FIG. 3A, at the moment of collision the wheel isforced to slide backward, with the hub, up to the limit allowed by theslot. The tire, being nested in the recess, cannot move back so it issubjected to substantial compression resulting in distortion.

The front bumpers 14 blend and curve into each side of the outer centercircumference of the tire tread and each side of the car body comeredges 12. The grill 9 is shaped and styled around the rear portion ofthe spare tire I in a manner to allow removing the spare tire and wheel.The hood lid 15, the windshield l3, and the front wheels 11 are all tothe rear of the spare absorber and the wheel cover 8,

Although one form of the invention has been illustrated and described,the specific terms employed are used in a generic and descriptive senseonly and not for purpose of limitation, the scope of the invention beingdefined by the claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an automotive highway vehicle having a front end, a longitudinalframe, a rigid cross frame including a nesting support on the front endof the longitudinal frame and mans for reducing the severity of acollision of the vehicle with an object in front of it comprising:

a vehicle wheel with a pneumatic tire mounted thereon,

b. said wheel and tire being positioned substantially parallel to thehighway surface forwardly of the nesting support and with said tire inclose proximity to said support,

c. the front portion of the tire extending forwardly of other vehiclestructure, and

means slidably mounting said wheel and tire on said rigid cross framefor providing limited movement of the wheel and tire relative to thevehicle including,

1. a hub removably connected to the wheel,

2. a plate having an elongated aperture mounted on the rigid crossframe, and

3. means movably connecting the hub to the apertured plate for movementlimited to the length of the aperture,

. whereby, when the vehicle strikes an object in front of it the wheeland pneumatic tire are forced backward into the nesting support toabsorb the resulting shock.

, The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein a grille is provided onthe front of the vehicle, said grille being conformed on the rearperiphery of the tire, and

. the vehicle is provided with divided bumpers about the forward cornersthereof contoured to curve into the circumference of the tire.

. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plate is rigidlymounted on the rigid cross frame,

. the aperture in the plate is elongated longitudinally of the vehicle,and

. the means for movably connecting the hub to the plate comprises akingpin on the hub extending through the elongated aperture and securedtherein for movement the length of the aperture.

The invention as set forth in claim 3, wherein the hub is tiltedupwardly forwardly of the vehicle and the mounted wheel and tire aresimilarl tilted, and rearward movement of the hub in t e elongatedaperture results when the tire back against the nesting support. Theinvention as set forth in claim 3, wherein a. a grille is provided onthe front of the vehicle, said grille

1. In an automotive highway vehicle having a front end, a longitudinalframe, a rigid cross frame including a nesting support on the front endof the longitudinal frame and mans for reducing the severity of acollision of the vehicle with an object in front of it comprising: avehicle wheel with a pneumatic tire mounted thereon, b. said wheel andtire being positioned substantially parallel to the highway surfaceforwardly of the nesting support and with said tire in close proximityto said support, c. the front portion of the tire extending forwardly ofother vehicle structure, and d. means slidably mounting said wheel andtire on said rigid cross frame for providing limited movement of thewheel and tire relative to the vehicle including,
 1. a hub removablyconnected to the wheel,
 2. a plate having an elongated aperture mountedon the rigid cross frame, and
 3. means movably connecting the hub to theapertured plate for movement limited to the length of the aperture, f.whereby, when the vehicle strikes an object in front of it the wheel andpneumatic tire are forced backward into the nesting support to absorbthe resulting shock.
 2. a plate having an elongated aperture mounted onthe rigid cross frame, and
 2. The invention as set forth in claim 1,wherein a. a grille is provided on the front of the vehicle, said grillebeing conformed on the rear periphery of the tire, and b. the vehicle isprovided with divided bumpers about the forward corners thereofcontoured to curve into the circumference of the tire.
 3. means movablyconnecting the hub to the apertured plate for movement limited to thelength of the aperture, f. whereby, when the vehicle strikes an objectin front of it the wheel and pneumatic tire are forced backward into thenesting support to absorb the resulting shock.
 3. The invention as setforth in claim 1, wherein a. the plate is rigidly mounted on the rigidcross frame, b. the aperture in the plate is elongated longitudinally ofthe vehicle, and c. the means for movably connecting the hub to theplate comprises a kingpin on the hub extending through the elongatedaperture and secured therein for movement the length of the aperture. 4.The invention as set forth in claim 3, wherein a. the hub is tiltedupwardly forwardly of the vehicle and the mounted wheel and tire aresimilarly tilted, and b. rearward movement of the hub in the elongatedaperture results when the tire back against the nesting support.
 5. Theinvention as set forth in claim 3, wherein a. a grille is provided onthe front of the vehicle, said grille being conformed to the rearperiphery of the tire, and b. the vehicle is provided with dividedbumpers about the forward corners thereof contoured to curve into thecircumference of the tire.
 6. The invention as set forth in claim 4,wherein a. a grille is provided on the front of the vehicle, said grillebeing conformed to the rear periphery of the tire, and b. the vehicle isprovided with divided bumpers about the forward corners thereofcontoured to curve into the circumference of the tire.